Improvement in the manufacture of starch



2 Sheets-Sheet l.

J. J; GILBERT.

MANUFACTURE OF STARGH.

Patented June 11, 1867.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. J. GILBERT. MANUFACTURE OF STARGH.

No. 65,664. Patented June 11, 1867.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J J. GILBERT, OF LITTLE FALLS NEW YORK.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 65,664, dated June 11, 1867.

.To all whom, it may concern.-

Be itknown that I, J. J. GILBERT, of Little Falls, in the county of Herkimer and State of New York, have invented a uew and usefdi Improvement in Manufacturing Starch; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, Whichwill enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to a new and improved method of manufacturing starch, and to the particular manner in which the grain from which the starch is made is manipulated and operated upon during the process; and itemsists in providinga separator and vats which contain agitators, and also in a series of connected troughs, called a deposit-or, as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

Figure 1 representsa plan or top view of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional elevation through the line as w of Fig. 1. Fig. 3, Sheet 2, is a section of Fig. 1 through the line 3 y. Fig. 4is ahorizont-al section throughthe line 2 z of Fig. 3.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts. p

The combination and arrangement represented in the drawings embrace the most important parts of the apparatus used in the manufacture of the starch from the grain. The drawings represent the separate floors or stories of a starch-factory where such business is pursued, the floors being broken away somewhat for the purpose of showing the apparatus to better advantage.

A A represent the floors of the building.

B represents the pillars or posts of the build mg.

0 represents the upper joists or beams.

D, Figs. 1 and 2, is the separator.

E, F, and G represent vats.

H is the depositor.

J .I J represent pulleys on the ends of vertical shaijts in the vats, to which the wings orarms are attached which form the agitators.

The ground or prepared grainis discharged into the separator D by the spout a. The sep arator receives a longitudinal motion from the rod or pitman I), which is attached to the separator and to a crank-pulley. (Seen at e.)

The separator is 'a rectangular-shaped box: with wooden ends and sides suitably secured together, and with abottom of bolting-cloth of suitable fineness. It is suspended from above by rods, upon which it is vibrated by thepit" man 12, as before described.

Immediately above the separator is seen the water-pipe d, with a globe-Va We to regulate the supply. The water flowsfrom the under side of the crosspipe, whichis perforated for the purpose, which assists in washing the finer portions of the stock through the bolt, while the coarser grains are carried over the end and down the broad spout f. The separator vibrates in a box of corresponding shape,whieh has the spout f attached to its outer end; and it has another spout attached to its side, wh ich is seen in Fig. 3, marked g. T is spout gconveys the stock which passes through the bolt into the vat E. This vat is large enough to contain the product of one days work, which product is allowed to settle over night. The next morning the water is drawn oii' by removing a'plug in the side of the vat. The plug is then replaced, and a solution of caustic alkali isintroduoed, the proportion being jsixty pounds of alkali to the stock from sixty bu'sh els of grain to one thousand gallons of water. The agitator in the vat is now started and kept in motion about six hours. In the meantime the vatF is receiving the products of the'sep arator to be operated upon the following day. The contents of the vatE are now pumped up into the highest part of the depositor H. The

depositor is composed of a series of inclined parallel spouts or troughs,which descend longitudinally, and which are connected with each other in such a manner that liquid poured into the upper spout is discharged into the'lower one. The gluten of the grain, being dissolved by the alkali in the vat, flows off, while the starch is deposited nearly pure. The starch is now taken from the depositor and thrown onto the wooden grate h in the small vat G, where, in combination with a stream of water which is let on, it is washed through the grate, to be acted upon by the agitator in the vat. After being agitated a suitable length of time it is allowed to rest for a while, when a valve is opened, and it is allowed to flow into the settling-vats below,where it is drained as usual. The pipe of the valve through which the starch is drained off is about three inches Irom the bottom of the vat, so that a stratum of starch is 1eft,which contains some impurities. This is drawn through a hoTe in the bottom of the vat by raising the plug from the hole 1'.

L is the water-cock for the vat G. on is the valve-cock through which the pure starch is drawn from the vat.

Having thus described my inventioinwhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is 7 1. The separator D, constructed and arranged substantially as herein shown and de scribed, for the purposes set forth.

2. The depositor'H, constructed substan- 

